Jonny spent a good part of the day identifying the source of our propane leak to no avail. I managed to use our electric hot plate to prepare macaroni salad as our contribution to the the pot luck supper that the marina was sponsoring that evening. It was a nice event as they had a guitarist and a fiddler playing lots of songs from our era. We sat with two John’s - one of whom we had met at the dock in Whitehall. His friend, John, had joined him for part of his cruise.
Later that evening, Chip, the owner of the marina set off a surprisingly extensive fireworks show from a barge on the lake. It lasted over 30 minutes and was really impressive especially since his right hand man was not available to help him. Of course we had a ringside seat from Zendo.
The next day we went for a long walk in the surrounding countryside with Archie. He was particularly interested in some cows but they couldn’t have cared less about him!
Back at Zendo Jonny kept fussing with the propane problem and finally Chip, the owner of the marina, came to look at it. He confirmed that the regulator needed to be replaced but we wouldn’t be able to get one until after July 4. In the meantime, I took the marina’s loaner car and drove into the tiny and charming town of Orwell (population 1,235) to go to the post office and get some groceries.
The grocery store was closed but there was a wonderful farm stand that had beautiful vegetables and I stocked up on tomatoes, strawberries, green beans, onions, potatoes and even yogurt! Jonny had called to say that the two Johns wanted to have dinner together. I was excited to get the last strawberry rhubarb pie at the stand so we would have a delicious dessert! I stopped at a little convenience store on the way back to get a few more staples.
The countryside around Orwell is just beautiful with rolling hills and beautiful farmland. It was a pleasure to drive through the winding roads and see beautiful vistas at every turn.
That evening we were going to share dinner with the two Johns at a picnic table but it started to sprinkle so we changed plans and ate on our aft deck. For a spur of the moment meal, we had quite a nice feast with flank steak, macaroni salad, fresh green bean salad and of course, pie for dessert! It was a pleasant and relaxing evening.
We thought we might anchor off of Ticonderoga on July 4 to watch the fireworks there. As we headed out around 4 p.m. the sky up ahead became increasingly dark and we saw lightening in the distance. After consulting the radar on our weather apps, it looked as if the storm might cause the fireworks to be cancelled, so we made an executive decision and headed back to Chipman Point and returned to our dock..
Jonny made a nice salad with the leftover flank steak and as we ate dinner it appeared that the rain was never going to come. He was still determined to check out the fireworks even though we don’t usually travel in the dark. Despite my weak protests, he took off on the dinghy armed with a phone and flashlight to see what there was to see. Archie wistfully watched him go and anxiously awaited his return while I hunkered down for the evening.
About an hour later he returned only to report that while there were fireworks, they weren’t at the fort but further away in the town of Ticonderoga. Therefore they weren’t nearly as dramatic as the ones we saw at Chipman’s two nights earlier. We didn’t miss anything and he got to make his evening dinghy ride.
On Wednesday Jonny got a ride into town with Chip’s mother to buy the regulator we need to fix the propane system while I did laundry. This marina only charges a dollar for a load of laundry and that includes the dryer. I did three loads while here! Note the high water marks on the steps from previous storms!
Jonny, in the meantime, was able to get a temporary regulator for the propane system and spent quite a bit of time installing it in the smallest possible space under the upper helm. If he was even five pounds heavier I don’t think he would have been able to reach in to install it.
We enjoyed our last afternoon in Orwell working on our presentation for the upcoming MTOA Rendezvous. The highlight of the afternoon was a visit from Michael Goldfield, my friend since junior high school. He travels almost daily between his home in Dorset and Burlington and we always see him and Melina when we are in Vermont or in Maine where they also own a home. We’ll see more of them when we return from the Rendezvous.
That evening we had another lovely walk in the area around the marina. The nearby farm had chickens and most surprisingly, two peacocks and a peahen! We didn’t know that they existed in this part of the country. They are actually considered neighborhood pests in Miami!
After nearly a week here at Chipman’s we will be leaving the next morning bound for Port Henry, NY - a new destination for us. We’ve really enjoyed being in this gorgeous and laid-back country setting!
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